Spectralink Sees Continued Channel Growth One Year After Polycom Split

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As the one-year mark after breaking away from former owner Polycom approaches, enterprise mobile communications company Spectralink speaks out about reshaping its identity in the industry and bringing 100 percent of its business through the channel.

The deal was closed in December 2012, and, according to Simon Watson, director of OEM and global alliances at Spectralink, the "challenges that [Spectralink] had under [its] previous ownership have now completely gone away. We are now positioned as wireless experts."

Spectralink was primarily delivering up VoIP products and solutions to the enterprise space when it was bought up in 2007. Years later, it is competing with a full portfolio of wireless solutions, of which voice technology is only a small part.

"We have gone from selling dial tone to selling devices with higher vertical applications," Watson said. "Voice is still in there, but it seems to be a smaller priority."

Spectralink focuses on the health-care, retail and manufacturing verticals among which health care is the largest portion of its business, Watson said.

In the process of bulking up its channel once again, Spectralink has 300 resellers worldwide registered to the partner access site, 2,000 individually trained sales men and women, and 60 tier-two support certified partners. Watson said the goal is to reach 150 tier-two partners by the end of 2014.

The company is looking for partners that "understand you have to get the right device to the right users" Watson said, adding that "[Spectralink is] more focused on systems integrators who understand process, who understand business applications."

In the face of the BYOD movement that has taken a stronghold in industries everywhere, Watson said Spectralink trains its partners to recommend problem-solving devices based upon the challenges that end users face in the workplace.

"For some, it's a headset, for some, a smartphone, for others like a specialist or a doctor or a surgeon, they probably want something more like a tablet." Watson said. "For Spectralink's users that only work on-site, they need a ruggedized, industrial manufactured device in which batteries can be charged and changed easily. It's all about positioning and helping our business partners find the right way to put the right devices in the hands of customers."

XChange Solution Provider 2015 is finally upon us and the timing couldn't be better. The premier channel event is happening March 1-3 in Dallas, bringing together 225 solution provider decision makers from across North America. CRN is at the event to provide news, analysis and a firsthand take from partners.